July 14, 2006
D.C. digs up more parking spots
The District of Columbia says it's found 9,000 more parking spaces that could serve the new Washington Nationals stadium, providing plenty of space for sellout crowds. The catch: The city doesn't control all the lots (the Washington Post actually calls them "potential parking spaces," which sight unseen makes me wonder if some are just vacant lots that could be used for parking), and some are as far as a 15-minute walk from the stadium site, which apparently would be an insurmountable hike for the car-dependent.
Meanwhile, the new Nats owners are quickly proving themselves sore winners when it comes to the stadium plans, as team execs have griped to the press about everything from lack of sufficient access roads to lack of parking. "It's not simply enough to build a stadium, plop it down and hope that it works," team president Stan Kasten told the Washington Post. "Part of that is having the ability to get there easily and to park conveniently. That's part of what will draw people there. If they think they can't get there, they will stay away."
So much for promises that the Nats stadium would be an example of "green construction." But then, as preservationist blogger Richard Layman notes, neither Kasten nor team owner Ted Lerner has a very good track record when it comes to smart growth.
